Dodgers Open in Style

The home opener at Dodger Stadium had just about everything a fan of the Dodgers could ask for. Brilliant pitching, good defense, great hitting, a rare feat, and all the pomp and circumstance that makes Opening Day awesome. A few highlights from the day (and one or two lowlights)

• Vin Scully throwing out the first pitch- This was incredible. Scully threw a strike to Dodgers' manager Joe Torre, and then proceeded to announce to the crowd those wonderful words, "It's time for Dodger baseball!". The fly over was amazing too and it was treat to watch a huge plane glide through the air looking as agile as can be. I enjoyed the whole angle of having the players enter through the stands, but introducing the players in numerical order in order to let Manny Ramirez entire as the messiah was too cliche. I really like Manny Ramirez, but it annoys me that he gets all the attention while there are many other Dodgers that are capable of playing at a high level. This was evident when Orlando Hudson acheived his feat later in the game, but I'll get to that in a moment.
• Chad Billingsley was on his game on Monday. The Dodgers' ace went seven innings, while giving up only one run on five hits. Bills struck out eleven Giants and didn't walk a single batter. Unlike the national baseball media, I am not worried about the starting rotation and Chad is a huge reason why. No one outside of Los Angeles besides Keith Law knows it, but Chad Billingsley is one of the best pitchers in baseball. His ERA+ the last two years has been 138 and 135 respectively. I expect him to be even better this season and maybe people will start to pay attention to what he brings to the table. It was really fun to see him mowing down the Giants hitters, and he finished in style after striking out the side in his final inning.
• Andre Ethier hit two home runs on Monday, and both were on the first pitch against lefties. His first was off of Randy Johnson, a shot to left-center, and his second was off of Alex Hinshaw, a 429 foot bomb into the pavilion in right field. Andre has a great approach at the plate, and he continues to show an increase in power as he gets closer to his prime. I expect Ethier to hit around .300 this year and I think it is very possible for him to repeat his 2008 OBP of .375. Ethier is another player that seems to be excelling under the veil of anonymity. He could very well post a .900 OPS this season which would make him one of the better hitters in baseball. If only anyone actually knew that...
• Orlando Hudson became the first LA Dodger to hit for the cycle at Dodger Stadium. After hitting a dribbler in front of the plate in his first at bat, the O-Dog was called safe on a bang-bang play at first. In his next at-bat, Hudson lined a shot down the left-field line which barely got over the wall. Hudson lined a double into left-center in his third at-bat. I immediately realized Hudson was on cycle alert, but Dodger stadium is notoriously difficult to hit a triple in, so I didn't take it too seriously. Then in his fourth at-bat, hitting left-handed for the first time all day, Hudson ripped one into the right-field corner. The O-Dog busted it out of the box, and when the ball caromed off of the wall and away from the defender, he took the opportunity to take third. A good relay throw made the play extremely close, and from my vantage point (albeit in the Top Deck), I thought he was out. But he was called safe in what was one of the more exciting plays I have seen. However, this is where my beef with Manny Mania comes to a head. Hudson becomes the first Dodger to hit for the cycle since Wes Parker did it in 1970, and instead of the crowd giving him a standing ovation, the crowd rises to their feet and starts to chant Manny's name. This really upset me for some reason and it started making me bitter towards Manny even though it's not his fault. I'm glad Manny has galvinized the Dodgers' fan base and interest within the city, but come on, there are other Dodgers doing remarkable things. Yet, many fans seem to be myopic when it comes to Manny. Their inability to see beyond #99 is causing them to miss some exciting moments. The Dodgers as a whole always come first in my eyes, and that just doesn't seem to be the case with some other Dodger fans.
• A random tidbit from my seats in the nosebleeds... While looking to the Northwest from the Top Deck stands, you can see the Hollywood sign way up in the Hollywood Hills. I pointed this out to Adam and Stong, who went in on a 15 game mini-plan with me, and they were less enthused about it than I was. The rest of the game they thought it would be funny to point out the Think Blue sign in the hills beyond Dodger Stadium while mocking my random revelation. I think they are just jealous they didn't spot it first.
• Oh another random rant... The girl who sang God Bless America in the middle of the seventh inning decided it would be fun to stretch the song into a 5 minute rendition. I swear she must have sang the song four times in a row. There were multiple occasions where the crowd started cheering because they thought it was over, only to have her start singing again. And I won't even begin to mention her voice...

Anyways, I couldn't have asked for a better home opener. If the Dodgers' offense continues to display good balance and the pitching stays strong, this is going to be a fun year at Chavez Ravine.